By: Ripley Ahlborn
Upward Bound Math and Science prepares students for college
in a variety of different ways. Part of this entails visiting college campuses,
in addition to Marian University, so on Thursday, June 27, students took field
trips to Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) and the University of Wisconsin
– Fond du Lac. The students were split into two groups, and the
following Monday, the groups got to visit the school which they had not toured
yet. The students also received tours of Marian University and the University
of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. The reason for showing the students many different
sizes and types of schools is so that they can start to decide on ideas of
where they want to go to college.
At MPTC, the students watched a presentation and learned
much about the differences between technical colleges and 4-year colleges. They
also learned that over 100 different programs are available at MPTC, in a wide
range of careers. Such careers include manufacturing jobs, like Tool & Die
Maker, or healthcare jobs, such as Paramedic, or engineering jobs, or
automotive jobs, or marketing jobs, or culinary jobs…and the list goes on! Afterwards
the students received a tour of the campus, where they got to see cool things
such as the restaurant that the culinary students cook for and even a room with
a mock jail-cell.
Not only are students getting first-hand insights into what
college campuses are like, but they are also being taught the basic mechanics
to planning for college–early. Lori
Hoppa, a College Access Advisor based in Oshkosh, WI, came to present on this
topic. Hoppa went over all of the different types of degrees there are in
college, showed students where to explore career options, and showed them which
classes are the best to take in high school. She gave them ideas of questions
to ask themselves when searching for schools, and tips on Financial Aid and
saving money for college.
The last thing Hoppa demonstrated was how to create an
academic portfolio, which is an archive of records and achievements from high
school. Its purpose is exemplify a student’s skills and strengths, similar to a
résumé. She taught the students the five categories into which the portfolio
should be split into, which are Academics, Extracurriculars, Jobs,
Volunteering, and Athletics, and then what kinds of things to put into those
categories.
Preparing for college is a daunting task, and even the
thought of doing it can scare any high school student. Of course, the UBMS
class still has much to learn about college, but they certainly have a comfortable
head start on most of their peers!
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